Charter Cable - caveat

Charter Cable is one of the most annoying cable companies I have ever
experienced. Their tech support needs support. Their consumer service
is consumed with ignorance. And about the only quick response you'll
get is when they take your money.

I have called several times, waited and waited, and sent emails to
Charter regarding High Definition TV.

My question was simple: Are the local affiliates (QAM encoded) HDTV
signals encrypted or not?

I'd like to know before investing in an HDTV tuner. QAM capable tuners
are more expensive than OTA tuners.

Apparently no one at Charter is competent enough or available to answer
the question.

.